


Advice

by Kate_Shepard



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Confusion, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friendship/Love, Happy Ending, Love, Misunderstandings, Shakarian - Freeform, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 15:32:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8897230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_Shepard/pseuds/Kate_Shepard
Summary: When Garrus comes to Shepard for relationship advice, she thinks she's too late. Little does she know, she's the one he's trying to figure out.





	1. Chapter 1

Shepard looked up at the knock on her door and instructed EDI to open it. Her smile when she saw Garrus in the doorway was expected. She was always happy to see him. He’d become her best friend during the hunt for Saren and now he was the one person from her ground team who was back, willing to go into hell with her all over again. How could she not be happy to see him? The sudden warmth that filled her at the sight of him was nothing new, either. During their first mission, while Kaidan and Liara had been following her around like lost puppy dogs, she’d used every excuse to be around Garrus that she could come up with. He’d seemed oblivious to her interest but that didn’t lessen it.

Now, he was back and it was getting harder to hide the way she felt about him. She didn’t want to make things awkward between them or strain their friendship. As far as she knew, Garrus had never looked at a human as a potential partner. She’d never even seen him exhibit interest in asari. He was strictly interested in other turians. She couldn’t fault him for that, even if it did disappoint her. She just couldn’t let him know that she wanted more from him than friendship. She’d never ask him for more than he was willing to give.

“Garrus,” she said warmly. “Come in. What’s on your mind?”

He looked around her cabin and nervously rubbed the back of his neck before entering. He hesitated before taking the seat she offered him on the couch and she wondered what was making him so anxious. He sat, leaning forward and planting his forearms on his thighs with his hands clasped. “I, ah, wondered if I could ask you for some advice.”

“Of course,” she said, turning to face him more fully. Whatever this was, it was important.

He self-consciously rubbed a hand over the bandaged side of his face and looked around the room as he said, “It’s a, hmm, personal matter. I don’t really know who else I can talk to about it. I tried talking to Joker but I’m pretty sure he just sent me porn and I thought maybe Dr. Chakwas or Mordin, but they just gave me medical advice and that doesn’t really help. Jacob or Miranda would probably burst a blood vessel and Jack and Zaeed would just laugh at me. I doubt the others have any experience with this. I don’t have that many people I trust, Shepard.”

“Garrus,” she said with a half-smile, feeling utterly confused. Why was Joker sending Garrus porn? “Just spit it out.” 

He looked down at his hands and said, “I can shoot the head off a husk at a thousand yards. I can calibrate giant guns better than an AI. I can take orders in the field and I know I’m a damn good soldier. But when it comes to, ah, interpersonal relations, I am utterly clueless.”

“You do just fine with me,” she pointed out, feeling even more confused. Was he having trouble with the Cerberus crew? She’d spit-roast anyone who’d been cruel to him or made him feel unwelcome. She’d trade all of them for him. 

“As a friend, yes,” he said. “But it’s different when it’s someone I’m…interested in.”

Ah, she thought with a pang. He’d come to her for relationship advice. Someone had caught his eye and it certainly wasn’t her or he wouldn’t be coming to her. He’d go to someone like Liara or Tali for that. Any hope that he’d ever see her as something more than a friend was shattered in that moment. She pushed down the disappointment and pain of unrequited love and reminded herself that she _did_ love him. That meant she wanted him to be happy, even if it wasn’t with her. She wondered who it was. _Please not Kelly._ She shook the thought off. It wouldn’t be Kelly. It was probably some turian woman he’d met on shore leave. 

“So there’s a special girl? Guy?” she asked.

“Special doesn’t begin to cover it,” he said. “She’s…amazing. She’s beautiful and smart and strong and brave and far too good for me. What’s that human saying? She’s out of my league.”

Shepard swallowed her envy and the wish that he would talk about her that way. This mystery woman must be someone special indeed. His whole body had relaxed for a moment and his voice had grown lighter than she’d heard it in…years. It had been years since the hunt for Saren. Shepard shook her head. “No way,” she said. “It’s probably the other way around. I can’t imagine many women good enough for you.”

He snorted. “Right,” he said skeptically. “You sound like you actually believe that.”

“I do,” she said. “You are also smart and strong and brave. You’re loyal and insightful and funny and any woman would be lucky to have you. So what’s the problem?”

“She’s human,” he said.

Shepard’s face fell. Garrus wasn’t all that great at reading human expressions but he did know how to read Shepard. She was…disappointed? He groaned internally. Damn. This was just fantastic. He knew she didn’t have anything against interspecies relationships. However, he hadn’t considered that she might not agree with turian/human relationships. Being friends was one thing. Bonding was another. He was such an idiot. Her father had been killed in the Relay 314 Incident. She probably thought relationships between their species were an abomination or something. She swallowed visibly and said, “Oh.”

He rubbed his hands over his face and said, “Damn, Shepard. I’m sorry. I didn’t think…with your dad and…and your mom fought us, too, right? You think I’m a freak now, don’t you?”

“No!” she said quickly. “No, Garrus. The First Contact War was thirty years ago. It’s over. Do you really think you’d be my best friend if I had any resentment toward turians? I was just surprised. I didn’t think you were into humans or anything that isn’t turian.”

“I’m not,” he said. “This isn’t about that. It’s about her. I don’t care that she’s human. She’s just… _her_.”

This was stupid. What the hell had he been thinking? He should have gone to Liara or Tali or maybe even Kasumi. Damn it. Kasumi would have been perfect. She was a romantic. She would probably know exactly what to tell him and, hell, she might even be able to tell him if Garrus’ feelings were returned. He hadn’t even thought of Kasumi until now. Unfortunately, the only person he truly felt comfortable with, the one he knew he could discuss almost anything with, the one he knew understood him, well, she was the same one he needed advice about. 

She shifted in her seat and said, “Okay, so have you told her how you feel about her?”

“Spirits, no!” he exclaimed. 

“Why not?” she asked. 

“What if she doesn’t feel the same way and I end up just making things awkward or she doesn’t want to see me anymore or she gets angry and…” _kicks me off her ship,_ he finished silently.

Shepard looked down at her hands and considered his question. She couldn’t exactly tell him what she would do. She’d do the exact thing he’d done with the mystery woman. She’d kept her mouth shut, hoping he would come to her and now he had but he’d come to her about another human. She sincerely hoped it wasn’t Kelly. Maybe Kasumi? He hadn’t mentioned talking to her. Shepard thought she could handle it if it was Kasumi. She liked the sweet little thief and gods knew the woman had been through enough and deserved someone better than Jacob. 

On the other hand, she’d kept her mouth shut and looked where it had gotten her. She still had his friendship but now she would never know if he could have felt about her the way that he did about the mystery woman. Clearly, her species hadn’t been as big an issue as she’d imagined. She thought they were good enough friends that she could have at least made a mild pass to see how he reacted. Hindsight, as always, was 20/20. 

“You should tell her,” she said softly. “If she’s really your friend, she won’t get angry. She’ll probably be…flattered, if nothing else. Your pride may get bruised but is that any worse than not doing it and maybe missing your chance forever?”

“No,” he said after a long moment. “But how do I do it? I can’t just say, ‘Hey, I want you.’ I may intend to say that but it won’t come out that way when I get nervous.”

Gods, he really was adorable if she could look past the fact that all this was for someone else. She smiled and said, “How well does she know you?”

“Pretty well,” he answered.

“Then she already knows you’re awkward as hell and doesn’t care,” she said. 

“Help me out here, Shepard. How would a human man do this?” he asked desperately. “She’s one of the only friends I have left in this screwed-up galaxy. I can’t afford to lose her. I don’t _want_ to lose her.” 

She thought about it. It had been so long since she’d dated anyone and she’d never really been wooed. Her relationships generally began in the bedroom and gradually shifted to more from there. She’d been seduced but she’d never been romanced. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “Sex usually comes first with me. I’ve never had a guy start with friendship.” Curiosity got the better of her. “What would you tell me if I’d come to you with the same question about a turian?” 

He was interested in someone else. That didn’t mean it would work out. If they didn’t survive the suicide mission, then it would probably be a moot point but if they did, then maybe sometime in the future, things would change. Maybe this woman was a good thing. Maybe whoever she was would just open his mind up to humans as potential mates and open the door for Shepard. Though, if that was the case, she really hoped it wasn’t someone on this ship. That would be too awkward and felt too much like wishing failure on someone she considered a friend. Unless it was Kelly. Then, she’d probably just throw the bitch out the airlock.

He considered her question. “I don’t know with a human,” he finally said. “With turians, initial interest is signaled through looks and pheromones. There’s an expression an interested female wears. I don’t know if a human could replicate it. It’s, ahem, something like this.” Shepard’s heart tripped as he gave her a slow up and down that could only be described as smoldering and flared a single mandible. She thought she could approximate it but wondered if it would translate across species. 

He coughed and said, “I’m sure that’s a little off given that males don’t generally give that look but you get the idea. Touch tells us a lot, too. Turians don’t generally touch each other much outside of sparring unless we’re family or in a relationship. If we just want sex, we stick to erogenous zones and compliments about features we consider attractive. If we’re looking for an actual relationship, we go for the more personal areas like the mandibles or the arms. We also take care of each other if one is injured. Like with this,” he said, gesturing to his face. “A partner would insist on treating this, changing the bandages and the like, but a friend or someone who just wanted sex wouldn’t touch it. There are other ways, but those are the most obvious.”

“Noted,” she said. “It’s a little different with humans, I think. I’m not really all that versed in the romance department. Kasumi might be a better one to ask about that.” There, if it was Kasumi, she’d find out without having to ask.

“You may be right,” he said. 

“Garrus,” she said softly. “Just be yourself. Confidence is attractive but nerves are okay, too. It means this matters to you. It means she’s important to you. I’m sure she’ll be crazy about you.”

“Thanks, Shepard,” he said, looking away from her. “I’ll, ah, talk to Kasumi. See if she can help.”

“Sorry I couldn’t do more,” she said. “And, Garrus? If she isn’t crazy about you, she’s an idiot. Whoever she is, she doesn’t deserve you.”

“You’re wrong,” he said. “I don’t deserve her. At all.”

He left and Shepard buried her face in her hands. She’d been too late.


	2. Chapter 2

Garrus knocked on the door to Kasumi’s quarters. She let him in and he went straight to the bar. He needed a drink after that talk. What had Shepard meant when she’d said the woman would be an idiot not to be crazy about him? Did that mean _she_ was crazy about him? Was he stressing out over nothing? Could he have just told her right there and been done with this? No. That was impossible. Shepard didn’t see him that way. He was just a friend. He would just have to find a way to make her see him as something more than that. 

“Men only drink like that when they’ve got women troubles,” Kasumi said behind him. “Who is she? Ooh, is it Shepard?” she cooed.

The question surprised him so much that the empty glass slipped from his hand to land on the bar and roll. He fumbled to catch it, feeling suddenly clumsy and embarrassed. How had she guessed it so quickly? Was he that transparent to everyone else? Did Shepard already know? No, that didn’t make sense. He righted the glass and took a deep breath. 

“It _is_ Shepard!” Kasumi exclaimed. “I knew it. How romantic and sweet! Were you in love with her before? Is that why you’re here now? If she goes, you go. Is that it?”

“Something like that,” he mumbled. “Don’t say anything to anyone. Please.”

“She doesn’t know,” Kasumi gasped. “You haven’t told her. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

He relaxed slightly and turned to face her. “I need advice,” he said. 

She smiled widely beneath her hood and said, “You’ve come to the right place, then. I take it just telling her isn’t an option?”

“No,” he said. “I don’t know how she feels. I don’t want to make things weird.”

He thought she was rolling her eyes but couldn’t be sure through the shadows. “You should tell her. Trust me. I think she would be over the moon. Happy,” she added when she saw his lost expression at the human idiom. “Very happy.”

He felt bolstered by her confidence. “You think so?” he asked, taking a seat at the bar.

“Absolutely,” she said certainly. “I’ve always thought she was interested in you. So, how do you want to tell her?”

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck and said, “She said she’s never been romanced but I don’t know the first thing about that.”

“Lucky for you, I do,” Kasumi said. “Here’s what you do.”

___

Garrus looked around Shepard’s cabin and then down at himself. The one pair of civvies he currently owned were slightly worn and out of style but they accentuated his waist and hips and if it weren’t for the hideous bandage covering a quarter of his face, he’d know he looked good. To a turian, at least. He didn’t have the first clue what Shepard herself found attractive. Most of the things humans in general looked for didn’t translate that well across species and they weren’t things he could do anything about in any case. Kasumi had assured him that Shepard wouldn’t care how he was dressed or how he looked but he still wanted to make the effort.

He ran through the list Kasumi had given him. _Wine. Check._ It wasn’t the greatest but it was the best dual-chirality stuff he could afford and it at least wasn’t batarian shard wine. Music. Check. Fortunately, he’d let Kasumi listen to his selections. She’d laughed and given him something else, something slow and instrumental that she promised Shepard would like. _Candles. Check._ There were two tall, tapered candles sitting on her table between the plates of food he’d asked Gardner to prepare. They were covered now so that they didn’t get cold before she got back. He asked EDI to dim the lights and nodded approvingly. It was as good as he could make it. Now, he just had to wait. 

She didn’t leave him waiting long. She’d gone onto the Citadel to speak with Councilor Anderson. Spirits, he hoped that had gone well. He didn’t want to try this if she wasn’t in a good mood. He should have checked with EDI. It was too late now, though. She was walking through the door and he could see her looking around curiously. Her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed and he remembered that humans didn’t have turian vision. He’d made it too dark. Damn. She’d just walked in the door and he’d already screwed this up. 

She made her way carefully down the steps, drawn by the candlelight and peered through the darkness at him. “Garrus?” she asked. “Why are you sitting in my cabin in the dark? And what’s with the candles? Did we lose power?” He could hear an amused tone to her voice that made his throat tighten. “I know it’s you, Garrus. I can see your visor.”

He cleared his throat and said, “I, ah, might have underestimated the amount of light you’d need. EDI, bring it up a little. The commander can’t see.” He could hear the mortification in his voice and flinched. At least she couldn’t understand subvocals. The lights rose slightly and she looked around more confidently now. Her expression changed from confusion to surprise to…was that hope? 

“What is this, Garrus?” she asked. “Music, candles, food…is this a trial run for your mystery woman or something?”

“No,” he said and braced himself. “I, ah, skipped straight to the actual performance with her.”

“Oh,” she said and there was definitely disappointment in her voice. “How’d it go?”

“I don’t know yet,” he said. “I, ah, kind of messed it up a little. The lights were too low and she almost tripped down the stairs coming in.”

He could see the moment that realization dawned on her face. Dawn was an appropriate metaphor, he thought. The smile broke over her face like the sun rising on the horizon and brightened it. He’d never seen her grin that widely. Her flat, straight teeth flashed in the candlelight. Species like asari and salarians viewed toothy grins as threats but krogan, turians, and humans tended to use them to express happiness. She crossed her arms and rocked back on one foot. “Oh, really?” she asked warmly. “Well, on the plus side, I think you got the candles and music just right, so I’m sure she’ll overlook a little misjudgment.”

“I would be grateful for that,” he said. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me, Garrus?” she asked softly.

“I didn’t want to lose you again,” he said simply. “The two years when you were…gone…were the worst of my life. I was so glad to get you back, I didn’t want to risk ruining what we have. So much has gone wrong for me. C-Sec. Omega. I just…want something to go right for once.”

“Oh, Garrus,” she sighed. “You silly man.” She shook her head and planted her hands on her hips. His gullet clenched, certain that she was going to reject him. Instead, she looked him in the eye and slowly drew her gaze down his body and back up again. He’d never felt the sensation of being undressed with someone’s eyes before but he did now. It wasn’t just that she’d pierced through the layer of clothing. He felt like she’d stripped him bare to his soul. Her eyes met his again and the side of her mouth rose in an alluring smile. His blood began to rush as he realized that this was the human approximation of the look he’d shown her. “Did I do that right?” she asked, still giving him that crooked smile.

“Oh, yeah,” he said and she walked forward until she was standing in front of him. This was the moment of truth. Did she just want sex? Or did she want more? Spirits knew he wanted more but he’d take whatever he could get from her. He just wanted to be near her. Slowly, she brought her hand up and he stood very still, careful not to reject her, as she very carefully cupped the injured side of his face. The breath he’d been holding left him in a shuddering sigh and his eyes closed as he nuzzled into her hand and brought his own up to trail down her arm. 

“So the woman you wanted my advice on?” she asked as if she still wasn’t certain. 

“You,” he said. “It was always you.” His heart pounded as he hesitantly brought his forehead down to hers. When she didn’t move away, he brought his hand up to thread through her hair and brushed his forehead gently over hers, transferring his scent.

“Oh, Garrus,” she sighed again. Her strong arms wrapped around his neck and then her soft lips were pressing against his stiffer ones. He’d seen humans and asari do this and thought he understood the significance. He wasn’t prepared, though, when her tongue slipped between his mouthplates to stroke against his own. The sensation was foreign and strange but she did it like she knew what she was doing and he supposed this was a normal part of kissing. He’d seen open-mouth kisses between others before. He just hadn’t realized they used their tongues. He decided to copy what she was doing and she groaned and rose onto her toes to press her body against his. “You’re overdressed,” she murmured against his mouth.

He hesitated, remembering what she’d said about other men looking to her for sex first. He’d wanted to set himself apart from them. “Shepard, are you sure?” he asked. “You don’t have to…”

“I know,” she said. “I want to. I want _you_.” 

He wondered how he looked to her after he'd removed his clothing. She was beautiful to him. He growled low in his throat, fighting the urge to throw her on the bed and shove himself inside of her. He closed the gap between them again and pushed her backwards onto the bed and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her fingers tripped over the back of his neck and it took all of his self-discipline to not just drive himself into her. He hadn't done enough research and it made him somewhat nervous. Porn was all he’d had to go on and he was fairly certain that wasn’t any more accurate for humans than it was for turians. The basics should be the same but he didn’t just want something basic with her. He wanted it to be perfect.

She drew his face down to hers and began to kiss him again. This time, he allowed his hands to move over her, mapping her body. She was entirely different from a turian but he didn’t care. She was _Shepard_ and her hands were in his fringe and on the back of his neck and her legs were around his waist and her hot, soft center was pressed against him. He drew a hand down to explore that part of her body and she gasped. He needed to know how to touch her to give her pleasure and he needed to know her shape before he tried to enter her.

He was almost afraid as he retracted his talon and slipped his finger into her. He had no idea what to expect from this hidden part of her body. It was wet, which was strange. Turian males were the ones who provided the lubrication. She felt tighter than a turian female, though, so it might be a good thing. He didn’t want to hurt her. She clenched around him and the sound of his name on her lips made his cock throb almost painfully. Spirits, he didn’t know what he’d done to deserve this but he thanked whatever power in the universe had made it possible. And he was certain now that it _was_ possible. He’d thought his recon scout had flexibility. Shepard redefined the word. 

There was one thing that he’d seen on the vids Joker sent him that he wanted to try if she’d let him. It was very different from anything turians did together, but the reactions the females had given made him curious. If he could get Shepard to react that way, he would feel like a god. He trailed his tongue from her neck to her breasts, pausing to experiment with the strange buds in the center that turian females didn’t have. He was rewarded with another gasp and the sight of her back arching up to meet him, so he moved to the other breast and took the bud between his lips and drew his tongue over it. Her nails scraped over the back of his neck and he had to fight the urge to flip her over and claim her _now_. Instead, he moved lower. 

___

"Oh god...do that again," Shepard begged when she felt Garrus’ tongue slide against her center. He gave a satisfied rumble and drew his tongue along her again. The deep, thrumming purr continued as he licked her and the vibrations seemed to go straight to her core. She moaned as he traced along her entrance. Then he pushed his tongue into her. The feeling of his rough tongue inside her brought pleasure that was almost painful in its intensity and she cried out his name and writhed against him.

"Be still," he growled into her and began to move in earnest. 

Her body trembled and her hands fisted in the sheets as she fought to control her movements and remember that he had a row of very sharp teeth she didn’t want to feel—not there, at least. She couldn’t control herself for long. She’d never experienced anything like this and her control quickly unraveled. _Garrus_ was between her legs with his mouth on her. Garrus wanted _her_. It was too much and she felt herself unravel under his attention. He seemed surprised when her hips bucked and she called out his name as she came apart but he was definitely grinning when he looked up at her.

He slid up her body, his silver plates rubbing roughly against her skin and wrapped her legs around his waist, snarling when it pressed into the unplated hide there. He slowly pushed himself into her, spreading her around his girth. "Spirits, you're so tight," he said, burying his face in her throat. He entered her in one long, slow push. His ridges stroked against her with each new inch of his shaft until he was in her to the hilt. As if testing his depth inside of her, he pressed further against her, ensuring they couldn't be any closer. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to her. She felt complete, like she’d finally come home. He held himself still and gently nuzzled her throat. “It’s all right, Shepard,” he murmured. “I’m here.”

She sighed his name as emotion crashed into her, threatening to swallow her and steal her breath. He was here. Garrus was here with her and he cared about her. He wanted her, not just for her body but for who she was. Gods, she loved him. She pressed her lips to his scarred throat and whispered, “Take me, Garrus.” He growled low in his chest and began to move slowly.

___

Garrus wished he could take a picture of her now to carry with him forever. The sight of her head fallen back, her throat exposed to him, as she gave a moan of pleasure was something he never wanted to forget. He slowly began to move again. She was so tight and he was afraid he was too big for her. He hoped she could adjust to him but as long as he wasn’t hurting her, he could deal with taking it slow. She felt exquisite around him and he never wanted to leave her. 

"Please, Garrus," she whispered. “More. I can take it.” Her breathing was shallow as she looked up at him, her eyes desperate, and he thought he would never tire of hearing his name on her lips. He felt her spasm lightly around his length and growled low in his throat in response. His control broke and after an experimental thrust, he started to pound into her in long, deep strokes. His flesh slapped against her plates and her moans were just short of screams. He would have worried that she was in pain, but interspersed with her moans were cries of, “Oh, god, Garrus. Yes. Just like that. Fuck me, Garrus, please!” 

His talons gripped her hips, pulling her into him. Her nails raked under his fringe and he snarled as he slammed into her again and again. Her body bowed beneath him in a way that a turian never could and her feet braced themselves against his spurs as she met his thrusts. She’d stretched, conforming to fit him, and she felt as if she’d been designed specifically for him. He felt her walls begin to flutter as they had around his tongue and grazed his teeth lightly over her shoulder. She shouted his name and convulsed around him. The sight of Shepard, his Shepard, with her control shattered because of him proved to be his undoing and he spilled into her in a hot rush.

He rolled them onto their sides without disengaging and drew her into his arms. She moved immediately to nuzzle against his chest and hook her thigh over his waist. “I love you, Shepard,” he whispered. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them and he immediately wished he could call them back.

The wish was forgotten when she replied, “I love you, too, Garrus. I always have.”

“Yeah?” he asked, feeling his mandibles flare in a grin. It tugged on the healing side of his face but he didn’t care. Shepard loved him. 

Her brilliant eyes opened and she looked up at him with an answering smile. “You didn’t really think I spent all those hours on my back on the cargo bay floor because I cared about the Mako, did you?”

He brushed her hair back from her face and said, “Well, I suppose I did just assume it was my winning personality and devastating good looks that drew you back time and again. Lucky for you, I still have the former.”

“You’re beautiful, Garrus,” she said, bringing a hand up to trace the scars over his mandible and neck. “I hate these because they remind you of your pain. I hate them because you’re ashamed of them. I don’t hate them because I think they’re ugly or that you’re ugly because of them. I’ve always thought you were beautiful, scars or no.” She raised her head and pressed her lips directly to his damaged mandible. “And, just for the record, Chakwas is going to teach me how to care for that. I don’t just want sex, Garrus. I want you. All of you.”

If turians could cry, he thought he probably would at her words. He wasn’t worthy of her faith or her love or her devotion. He wasn’t worthy of her at all. But he was going to make damn sure that he did his best to become worthy of her. “I want all of you, too,” he said.

"Good," she said with a smile. "That's good. Now, I think we took things a little out of order with this date. Think that food's still hot? I'm starving."


End file.
